The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Taipei Poker Classic 2024 is just a few hours away from its conclusion. Meanwhile, the Main Event has crowned its champion in Rene von Reden, a 25-year-old poker pro from Cologne, Germany. The German poker pro outlasted a record-breaking field of 1,991 entries in the biggest tournament in Taiwan’s history to take home the TWD 50,000 Main Event title and the prestigious APT Lion Trophy. He took home a career-best TWD 14.413 Million (~$453,960) from the record prize pool of TWD 86.011 Million (~$2.7 Million).
While the spotlight was on the main event, Indian players made a strong impact across other key tournaments, notably in the APT High Roller and the record-breaking Micro Main Event.
Rishi Mehra’s Stellar Run in the APT Taipei 2024 High Roller
Event #91: APT High Roller had a TWD 11,000,000 guarantee. The TWD 110,000 buy-in drew an impressive 275 entries to more than double its guarantee and collect TWD 26,136,000 (~USD 820,080) in prize pool, making it the second largest APT High Roller event. After several hours of intense battle, the tournament was eventually won by Germany’s Martin Sedlak who claimed the coveted APT High Roller trophy and a career-best TWD 5,244,000 (~USD 164,850).
India’s Rishi Mehra delivered a remarkable performance, ultimately finishing runner-up. Mehra took home a career-best TWD 3,484,000 ($109,525) for his strong showing, solidifying his place among India’s top poker talents.
Just 61 returned for the final day, 39 of whom made the money. The money bubble burst on China’s Yuhang Chen whose ace-king ran into Jason Lau’s pocket aces, ending his run in 40th place and leaving the rest of 39 players entitled to win a minimum payout of NTD 18,000 ($ 560).
From there, it took six more hours for the field to whittle down to the final table, which began with Natural8 ambassador Punnat Punsri in lead and Baby Superstar Challenge winner Niko Koop second in chips. Unsurprisingly, the short stacked Chung Ching Cheung was the first player to hit the rails. He was followed by Daniel Montagnolli who exited in eighth place after losing a flip with A♥Q♥ against Koop’s 7♦7♠.
The next player to fall was Grant Wang who succumbed in seventh place after his A♠5♠ failed to beat Punsri’s pocket kings. Jason Lau, the lone Malaysian who started the final table as the shortest stack. He managed to land a pay jump, but failed to hold on any longer as his king-ten lost to the eventual champion Sedlak’s queen-ten, ending his run in sixth place.
Up next, India’s Rishi Mehra dominated the game, busting Event #79 Baby Superstar Challenge winner Koop and Punsri in fourth and fifth place, respectively to take the massive chip lead. However, three handed play saw the lead shift to Martin Sedlak. Riding his momentum, Sedlak went on to widen the gap even further by busting Adrien Favre in third place with his 8♦8♥ prevailing against the latter’s A♠10♠.
Sedlak, who came into the final table with a middle stack, started heads-up against Mehra with a 7-to-1 chip lead. While Mehra was able to close the gap, he could not go all the way. He finally ran his A♠7♣ into Sedlaks’s 9♥9♦ to exit in second for a career-best TWD 3,484,000 (~USD 109,525) and leaving the German player to claim his second APT title and bring his live earnings up to over $430k.
Abhinav Iyer’s Deep Run
Another Indian standout, WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer, also made his presence felt in the APT High Roller event. Iyer finished in 21st place, taking home TWD 256,000. His deep run further highlighted the strength of Indians, showcasing their ability to perform consistently on big stages.
APT TAIPEI 2024 HIGH ROLLER FINAL TABLE RESULTS
| Place | Name | Prize |
| 1st | Martin Sedlak | TWD 5,244,000 (~USD 164,850) |
| 2nd | Rishi Mehra | TWD 3,484,000 (~USD 109,525) |
| 3rd | Adrien Favre | TWD 2,548,000 (~USD 80,100) |
| 4th | Niko Koop | TWD 2,057,000 (~USD 64,665) |
| 5th | Punnat Punsri | TWD 1,613,000 (~USD 50,710) |
| 6th | Jason Lau | TWD 1,221,000 (~USD 38,385) |
| 7th | Grant Wang | TWD 896,000 (~USD 28,170) |
| 8th | Daniel Montagnolli | TWD 659,000 (~USD 20,720) |
| 9th | Chung Ching Cheung | TWD 546,000 (USD 17,165) |
Kunal Patni’s Journey Ends in APT Taipei 2024 Micro Main Event
Another key event from India’s perspective was the record-breaking TWD 11,000 Event #97: Micro Main Event. Featuring TWD 3,000,000 guarantee, the event smashed the previous record of 393 entries set back during March’s APT Taipei 2024, drawing an impressive 635 entries for a record TWD 5,967,984 (~$187,260) prize pool.
The final day of the event saw 90 players return with Percy Chao being in pole position to claim the TWD 1,154,984 (~USD 36,240) top prize. Taiwan’s Mao-Lun Yu returned second in chips after bagging up the second-largest Flight A stack of 840,000, while Flight B frontrunner, Natural8 India Director and Ambassador Kunal Patni, who also cashed the main event a few days back, started the day with the third-largest stack, holding an impressive 811,000 in chips.
Despite his strong start, Patni’s run ended in 8th place after his ace-jack failed to hold up against Dhanesh Chainani’s queen-eight, earning him TWD 120,000 (~$3,765). This marked his third and largest cash of the series, further cementing his reputation as a consistent performer on big stages. At the time of writing, only four players remained in Micro Main Event, with Indian-origin Dhanesh Chainani still vying for the title. Keep following PokerProNews for more updates from the APT Taipei!
Source: Asian Poker Tour
Image Credit: Asian Poker Tour
